LAHORE: An Anti-Terrorism Cou­­rt (ATC) on Wednesday exten­ded pre-arrest bail of PTI former secretary general Asad Umar, former prime minister Imran Khan’s sisters Uzma Khan and Aleema Khan in multiple cases of May 9 riots as police sought their arrest in the Jinnah House attack case.

Mr Umar and both sisters of the PTI chairman appeared before the court on expiry of their previous bail in four cases, including attacks on Jinnah House, which also serves as the residence of Lahore’s corps commander; Askari Tower in Gulberg; torching of PML-N offices in Model Town; and a container near Kalma Chowk.

The investigating officer (IO) of the corps commander house attack case told the court that he required the custody of all three suspects as they had been found guilty in the preliminary investigation.

He said the presence of Ms Aleema on the occurrence had been established while the role of other suspects had also been proved.

PTI chief ‘disappointed’ with President Alvi’s failure to give poll date despite NA dissolution

Opposing the arrest, Advocate Burhan Moazam Malik argued on behalf of the suspects that his clients had not been nominated in the FIR.

He asked the court to order the IO to present the statements of the witnesses against the suspects. He accused the police of including a new offence in the FIR every other day.

The counsel said the police should disclose charges against the suspects instead of seeking their arrest.

The IO said he would show the defence counsel statements of prosecution witnesses.

Ms Aleema approached the rostrum and said they wanted justice only.

“If justice is served by sending us to jail, then send us to jail,” she said.

Judge Arshad Javed extended the pre-arrest bail of the three suspects till Oct 16 and sought further arguments on the police request for their arrest.

The judge also directed Mr Umar to join the investigation in three of the cases.

Talking to media persons outside the court, Aleema Khan said her brother Imran Khan lost weight in jail and he was not being provided appropriate space for walk and exercise.

Narrating the account of her meeting with her brother in jail, she said: “I met Imran Khan in jail and found him happy, but he has lost weight significantly.”

She said Mr Khan read the Quran and other books in jail and his spirits were high.

The sister of the PTI chairman alleged that a conspiracy had been hatched to keep her brother behind bars for a long time by convicting him in the “fabricated” case of cipher.

She expressed apprehensions about the well-being of her brother, saying he could be poisoned in the jail.

Ms Aleema rejected speculations regarding secret meetings of Imran Khan in jail, saying no one came to her brother with an offer of any deal.

“He was surprised when I told him the speculations about his meetings in jail,” she added.

However, she said Mr Khan was disappointed with President Dr Arif Alvi’s failure to discharge his constitutional duty of giving an election date despite the dissolution of the National Assembly in August last.

To media queries regarding the return of PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif, PTI leader Asad Umar said the former prime minister should have returned to Pakistan three years ago.

He said it seemed Mr Sharif has finally found the medicine he had been searching for three years.

He said Mr Sharif, if returned, should be treated as per the law.

Published in Dawn, October 5th, 2023